Greetings everyone from Day 1 of the trial at Suffolk Superior Courthouse!

We had a great showing of stadium supporters; huge thanks to everyone who showed up, wore their green and shared why they're excited for a new stadium for our kids and a better park for our city.

Day 1 consisted of witness testimonies presented by the plaintiffs (ENC) as well as half the testimony of one of the defendant's witnesses. Testimonies will likely continue into day 2 and likely even a day 3 of trial, if not longer. 

All of the plaintiff's witnesses spoke of their love of Franklin Park, which we supporters share. We all believe this park deserves better, and it's a misrepresentation of supporters to suggest otherwise. While we all have opinions about the project itself, the judge made it clear to everyone in the courtroom that the trial was not about if the project is good or not, but rather very specifically about if it violates Article 97, which is about the change of use of the park (the City argues that the park is not changng use; the plaintiffs are arguing a large change in intent for the park).

If you live near the stadium, you'll know that it has already pretty much been demolished; if the trial rules in the plaintiff's favor the question then becomes "what next?" I'm hoping we don't have to get there. Rather, I'd love for us to spend more time on issues that matter moving forward: how to make sure real transportation solutions are created; how to ensure our neighboring small business communities, which are primarily Black- and Brown-owned, are supported and not disenfranchised; how we can ensure that people living in the surrounding areas benefit from the stadium in both quality of life and cost of living. These, in my opinion, are the issues we should be gathering around now.

There is a poll up on Boston.com asking the public if they support the stadium. Have a look at it here and please vote.

As much as our plaintiffs appeared to hate seeing so many stadium supporters in attendance today, I believe in the spirit of positive discourse. At the end of the day, we are all neighbors standing up for what we believe in. I hope Judge Matthew Nestor can make a fair and swift ruling and encourage our community to come together to create a better Boston for all of us. I believe the stadium has the potential to do that.

The trial is open to the public; stop by tomorrow if you get a chance. Wear your green and show your support!

In community,

Beth & Dot